Mike McGlinchey thankful coin-toss fate put him on 49ers, not Raiders

Mike McGlinchey thankful coin-toss fate put him on 49ers, not Raiders

SANTA CLARA — Mike McGlinchey recalls the coin toss that made him a 49er, and he couldn’t be happier about it.

The offensive tackle was a coin toss away from potentially living on the other side of the Bay, wearing silver and black. He has thought about how different his life would be if 49ers general manager John Lynch had lost that first coin toss to the Raiders.

“I have,” McGlinchey said. “I have. And I’m really, really lucky, and I think I’m fortunate to be here. Not that there’s anything wrong with the Raiders, but I lucked into a great situation here. I love my head coach. I love my offensive line coach. I love my assistant offensive line coach. I love my teammates.

“I didn’t think about it today, but I started thinking about it when I was buying a house in the area, which side of the Bay I could have been on and all that stuff.”

The more impactful coin toss, though, occurred in late February at the NFL Scouting Combine, where the Raiders’ and 49ers’ first-round draft pick was decided. That coin toss made drafting McGlinchey a reality for the 49ers, and they selected him with the ninth overall pick two months later.

McGlinchey has turned out to be an incredibly good pick for the 49ers. He is Pro Football Focus’ top-rated right tackle in the NFL.

Rumors were that if the Raiders had won the toss, they would have drafted McGlinchey. Instead, they traded their 10th pick with the Cardinals and drafted tackle Kolton Miller with the 15th selection.

Miller left Thursday’s game with a knee injury during the Raiders’ opening drive and struggled while playing 25 snaps. The Raiders shuffled the remaining offensive line around while attempting to protect quarterback Derek Carr. They allowed eight sacks.

McGlinchey recognized the short-term challenges of a tough season, but he sees the long-term potential.

“It just couldn’t be a better situation here, and I lucked out going to the Niners,” McGlinchey said. “Obviously, we want a little bit more wins, but we’re building something special here, and everybody can feel it.

“That’s why we don’t stop. We don’t stop working, and we don’t stop playing hard. That’s exciting. It’s been awesome to be here, and hopefully we’re getting ready for something big in the future.”

McGlinchey is very happy they way things unfolded and sees a solid future for himself on the 49ers’ side of the Bay.

“It’s obviously not even a guarantee that they would have picked me,” McGlinchey said. “But that’s what the rumors were. But, thank God. I love my situation here. I’m happy here, and I can’t wait to be a Niner for a long time.”